Nine-year-old dies after being denied treatment; grandfather carries body

A man was forced to carry the body of his 9-year-old granddaughter on his shoulders after allegedly being denied treatment.
For representational purposes
For representational purposes

FARIDABAD: In a shocking repeat of last year's incident where a tribal had to carry the dead body of his wife for 10 km to perform the last rites, a man, on Saturday, was forced to carry the body of his 9-year-old granddaughter on his shoulders after allegedly being denied treatment at a civil hospital in Faridabad.
    
According to the police, Lakshmi (9) had fever for the last two days. Reportedly around 1 am on Saturday, her fever subsided when her mother gave her a syrup. However, around 4 am, the fever intensified once again, following which, they admitted her to a private hospital.

A news website reported, the hospital staff said the treatment would cost Rs 5,000-6,000. The family then decided to shift her to the Faridabad civil hospital (Badshah Khan hospital) where Lakshmi died after allegedly being denied treatment. 

Hardev, Lakshmi's grandfather, was quoted in the news website, saying, "We repeatedly urged doctors for proper medication as her body temperature rose abruptly. No doctor or nurse visited her despite the critical condition. Around 11.30 am, she lost her life." 

After her death, the doctors asked the man to take the body home but no ambulance was provided by the hospital authorities, he added.

"The little money that we had was already deposited in the private hospital. We walked from that hospital to the civil hospital carrying Laxmi as we did not have money. We urged the civil hospital staff to provide ambulance so that we could at least carry the body, but they did not listen to us. Eventually, we decided to carry the body and walk till home," added Hardev in the news report.

Following intervention by some local media persons, a private ambulance was arranged and her body was sent home.

(With inputs from PTI)

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